Requiem
by Jay Kashiki
Summary: She had known it. That gazing down upon him from this new vantage point, that this was the absolute lowest she'd ever seen Byakuya Kuchiki. FEMIchi x Byakuya


**I don't know what made me finally get up and start writing again ^^**

**However; that aside.**

**I do not own Bleach.**

All she could do was stand. Stand idly by as he ran, the billowing shadows in hot pursuit; hell-bent on consuming him.

And all she did was stand. It wasn't like her… not in the least. She would've never stayed idly by, watching as some innocent civilian was chased down for the kill- especially by her long-standing enemies. Maybe it was who this _particular_ man was…

Who knows? Quite frankly, she was straddling the fence on her decision. Even as she glared down at the Hollow in pursuit of his very essence, clutching Zangetsu tightly in her hand; she couldn't help but feel – in some sick, twisted portion of her being – _pleased _by this sudden turn of events.

However, she knew the moment she'd donned her Shinigami wear; a silent pledge to destroy any Hollow indiscriminately was what she was after. Fondling the scarf around her neck, she had also made a pledge to uphold her promise…

'_I never go back on my word,' _and in a flash she'd disappeared.

"H-help! Help me, please!" The brunette male fell to his knees, his breath coming out in harsh whispers – silent pleas to some invisible force for help in his plight. He was haggard, sweating, and fearful. But no one came. No one _he _could see.

The only things illuminating the darkness of the night were the lights of the park's sidelines.

But even those were blocked from his shaky view, his gaze turning toward the shadow that had blocked out what might be his last view of light. And as he stared into the mask of the Hollow, the full weight of his fear came crashing with the lifting of the creature's mighty claw; poised to rip, shred, and murder.

And he yelled, screamed really, in absolute terror. This was the end…

And once the claw had begun to move, he closed his eyes tightly. The end was here for sure…

A few seconds had passed by… and nothing. Was he dead? Was death really this… anticlimactic?

And he opened his eyes, widening them in surprise. In front of him stood a woman, orange hair tied into a ponytail; amber eyes glaring impassively down upon him as her scarf flowed in a wind he hadn't even known was blowing. A blade was lopped over her shoulder, effectively blocking the creature's claw with one hand.

The Hollow growled, bringing up its other claw to attack. Time just seemed to flash by before he could blink, the woman turning in one moment. And once he did blink, all he could see was the light of the park again; the creature suddenly… gone?

No! He looked up, his already wide irises receding into his schlera. There it was, the creature's top half; going through the air before hitting the ground with a loud thump. Its body dissipated, disappearing like ashes to the wind.

It was gone…

He turned back to its slayer, gazing up at her. And finally, amidst his panic; he finally found his voice. "Wh-who the hell… who are you?" he had much more trepidation in voice than necessary.

The woman turned back to him, her impassive scowl still present. He cringed from her cold glare. Was she angry… at _him_? What the hell had _he _done? It was hard to tell if she was frowning with her scarf obscuring the view of her mouth. But, considering he had that expression most of the time; he felt he'd be safe to assume she indeed was.

"I'm the one who just saved your ass," her voice wasn't deep or bellowing, no not in the least. Exactly what you'd expect from a lady; light with an undertone of maturity… so why did it make him shiver?

However, soon his pride came back full force. "I asked who the hell you were!" I got up to stand at his full height. He easily towered above her at his height of 6'05". "I want some answers, lad-" and he yelped as he was sent back on his ass in an instant. He clutched his cheek, growling in pain.

He hadn't even seen the punch coming! And on top of that, how in the hell did she knock him down? And why did it _hurt _so damn much? He felt a bubbling pool of anger rising, glaring up at her. "What the hell?"

The woman only stared down, eyebrows knitted together angrily. "Do me a favor and stay quiet," it wasn't a request.

He didn't even get a chance to question before he felt something hard hit him from behind, and his world going dark.

* * *

><p>She knew deep down, her anger was misplaced; that she was treating a victim harshly for – well, she won't say for <em>any <em>reason. Just not an apparent one, at least in his eyes.

However, she was assigned with a mission to do; not only as a Shinigami, but as a friend and comrade. She touched the man's shoulder, grasping the edge of his white t-shirt. Picking him up, she slung one arm around her shoulder; the man's head drooping in his unconsciousness.

"Why couldn't you get Renji to do this or something…?" Ichigo mumbled mostly to herself. Despite her pledge, she'd wanted to do more productive things at the _root _of the problem. He wasn't going to stay asleep forever… and he'd probably never be the same once he did.

With that thought in mind, her pace quickened as she disappeared. Shunpo came in handy when needing to travel long distances, definitely. And because she was so proficient, she'd easily be able to transport multiple people at once across distances that would take hours on foot.

Not that she ever _would_ voluntarily. Too much of a hassle. If the situation called for it, yes she would definitely perform the task. But today, she was in a bittersweet situation; carrying only one person was better than multiple people. However, when it's carrying someone who's wronged you horribly; you just feel a sense of lingering animosity at your shitty stroke of luck.

This was exactly what Ichigo did all the way towards the shop.

Upon reaching the entrance, she was greeted by the ever jovial smile of her 'mentor'. Urahara opened the door, grinning brightly as he announced Ichigo's arrival.

"Well then, Ichigo-chan has come back! Oh and you brought the carg- oof!" he was suddenly knocked down by the oncoming body of the unconscious male.

Ichigo walked over both of them. "Hurry up and put him in bed!" she ordered loudly.

Urahara chuckled sheepishly. "Right, right," he held up the man, examining him. Outwardly, there was no harm, excluding a nasty-looking jaw wound. He gained a wry smile. It was obviously her handiwork. _'Always the rough way.'_

Ichigo pulled off her sandals as she stopped by a door, closing her eyes as she pulled down the scarf from her mouth. "Did you find anything on his condition?"

Urahara's face went serious. "Well, nothing as of yet. All we know is that he'll be under stasis for a while. A Hollow attack isn't something you recover from easily in the Human World; especially when it has such destructive results…" through his explanation, his tone had showed lesser hope by each word. As he laid the male's body down on a futon, he continued; "His spiritual power is completely in shambles. It would be reckless to try and use Kido to help him. Why Rukia had asked for that, I don't know…"

'_So there's no choice but to wait…' _Ichigo's eyes closed, her eyebrow twitching in frustration. They had been working tirelessly for nearly two weeks and yet they still found themselves at square one. _'And Soul Society couldn't even house him…' _she couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed, even if the problem wasn't hers to bear.

And then… Rukia… god, Ichigo couldn't take the thought anymore. She'd lost too many things in the course of just two weeks!

Opening the door, she stared into the room; trying to adopt a similar look as he. Trying to be emotionless when staring at the comatose, beaten body of the man you once thought as an equal was something even the most warped of minds couldn't be static on. Yet, she tried to keep her emotions under control. It wasn't hard for her _before _she'd become a Shinigami, before she'd had all these friends…

But now, while gazing down at the still body; raven hair sprawled across his face to obscure his eyes which she knew were closed, much like his mouth which was set into a deep frown – Ichigo knew that this was the absolutely lowest she'd ever seen Byakuya Kuchiki.

'_How in the hell did you even get into this position?' _Ichigo wouldn't say that Byakuya _didn't _have bad things coming to him, what with his holier-than-thou attitude and standoffishness towards all those around him. But, nothing of this magnitude should be deserving to someone who took in an orphan and cared for her like a sister; all the while having the will to serve an institution that tried to eliminate that very orphan.

'_Rukia…' _Ichigo's turbulent thoughts just raced back and forth between the Kuchiki siblings. Everyone had tried to tell her to leave it be for now; worry about it once all proceedings by the Shinigami had failed to worked. However, Ichigo could just _leave _this problem behind! Especially when one of her best friends was in the mix as well…

Rukia's predicament was much different. And this time, no one could really make anything out of it; considering… there was nothing to examine.

Vanished in thin air… it seemed so less unusual considering the world Ichigo was involved in nowadays.

Walking over to the bedside, she stared down at Byakuya… and his bare neck. She rubbed the scarf around her own neck between her index and thumb fingers. Maybe deep down inside, Ichigo really wanted him to sit up suddenly; turning his gaze to glare at her coldly and accuse her of thievery of a clan's sacred cloth.

"_Kurosaki Ichigo. Do you know what you are wearing? That is a sacred cloth worn by only the heads of the Kuchiki family. You know not the magnitude of the scarf you are wearing around your neck," _would be along the lines of something he would say. Ichigo smirked benignly down at him.

And before she could even notice, her hand had wiped the bangs away from his eyes. His closed eyes and set frown on his face. Just like always. Had she not known the sheer enormity of this whole situation, she would've been under the pretense that he was just sleeping.

Had she not known the sheer enormity, her views wouldn't be as bleak as they were now.

"I had Unohana-san heal most of his wounds," his voice startled her, causing her to pull her hand back quickly. "Actually, his body is probably in better condition than it has ever been," he added proudly.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel a bit amused at that, letting a smirk tug on her lips. Then it dropped just as quickly as it came. "And his spiritual power?"

Urahara let out a long sigh. "And _that_ Ichigo-chan is the problem. We can't ascertain that. In fact, this is something that only Unohana-san can pinpoint; and even _she _says it'll take time," he put a hand on his hat.

That was _never _good news. When the most powerful healer of all Shinigami says that something is hard to pinpoint in someone's health, the problem might be rooted deeper than any of them could comprehend. Ichigo crossed her arms, looking down as she tried to absorb all of this.

Urahara then looked to her, curiosity in his obscured eyes. "Hey Ichigo-chan…"

She blinked, looking up to him. "What?"

Urahara blinked as well. "Are you… stealing from Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo only stood still, looking to him.

* * *

><p>Ichigo stormed out of the shop, stomping loudly as she did. "Good night, Urahara-san!" She clutched the scarf around her neck, putting her face in it as she disappeared.<p>

Urahara waved to her, smiling sheepishly. "Night!" Turning, he looked to the man sleeping on the futon. _'And it all began with this guy…' _

He stood up, patting down his shirt before tying his obi. He had to get to work on trying to ascertain what this guy was all about.

Urahara rubbed his jaw; the soreness overwhelming. First, he would go get some alcohol. _Then _he would start.

**Well, thanks for reading ^^ **

**R&R, please. Tell me how I did. Criticism is needed.**


End file.
